1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a snowboard binding having a reduced vertical profile.
2. Description of Related Art
Snowboard bindings, virtually all strap models and certain step-in versions, include a highback that supports the rear portion of a rider's boot and/or leg. As is well understood by those of skill in the art, a highback can allow a rider to more quickly and effectively tilt a snowboard onto a heel-side edge. Such highbacks are often pivotally mounted to the binding so that the highback can be rotated or folded forward. Folding the highback forward can reduce the overall height of the binding, such as when storing a snowboard and attached binding and when carrying a snowboard and binding on a vehicle roof rack. Snowboard rental shops typically fold the highback down on bindings when storing snowboards between uses. Snowboards having step-in bindings with no highback are usually stored in racks separately from snowboards having strap bindings with a highback. The reason these boards are stored separately is that boards with step-in bindings usually have an overall height (the distance from the bottom of the board to the highest point on the binding above the board top surface) of about 3 inches, whereas boards with strap bindings have an overall height of about 4 inches or more. As a result, racks for boards with step-in bindings having no heel hoop or highback are made to accommodate about a 3 inch overall height for each board, and racks for boards with strap bindings and highbacks are made to accommodate about a 4 inch overall height for each board. The decline in popularity of step-in bindings has meant that fewer boards with step-in bindings are rented by riders, and thus rental shops have large numbers of unused racks for boards with step-in bindings.
FIG. 15 shows a prior art strap binding 1 mounted to the top surface 101 of a snowboard 100 (straps are not shown on the binding for clarity). The binding 1 has a base 2 with sidewalls 3 and a highback 5 mounted at a pivot point 6 near the mid-point of the base 2. The pivot point 6 is located about 0.75 inches above the top surface 101 of the snowboard 100 and about 4 inches forward of a rearwardmost portion of the heel hoop 7. (As used herein, the rear or heel end of the binding 1 is toward the right in FIG. 15, the front or toe end of the binding 1 is toward the left in FIG. 15, a bottom of the binding 1 is toward an interface of the binding 1 with the snowboard 100, and an upper portion of the binding 1 is opposite the bottom and away from the snowboard 100.) Relatively long arms 5a of the highback 5 extend from the pivot point 6 toward the heel hoop 7. A lean adjuster 10 is carried on a rear portion of the highback 5 to adjust the rotational position of the highback about the pivot point 6.
FIG. 16 shows another prior art strap binding 1 mounted to the top surface 101 of a snowboard 100. Similar to the FIG. 15 binding, the binding 1 includes a base 2, sidewalls 3, and a highback 5 mounted at a pivot point 6. However, the FIG. 16 binding has the pivot point 6 located relatively high on the heel hoop 7 at a point about 2.75 inches above the top surface 101 and about 2 inches forward of the rearwardmost portion of the heel hoop 7. It can also be seen that the pivot point 6, like that in the FIG. 15 binding, is located forward of the rearwardmost portion of the floor 22 of the base 2. A lean adjuster 10 is carried by the highback 5 and is used to adjust the rotational position of the highback 5 about the pivot point 6.
FIGS. 17 and 18 show the FIGS. 15 and 16 bindings, respectively, with the highback in a folded position. In both bindings, the highback is positioned above the heel hoop and other portions of the binding. Specifically, the bindings have a height h, a perpendicular distance measured from the bottom surface 21 of the bindings 1 that interfaces with the top surface 101 of the snowboard 100 to the uppermost portion of the binding 1, in this case the highback 5 and/or the lean adjuster 10 carried by the highback 5. This height h varies with different binding types, but generally is about 3.5 inches or more for strap bindings. Since it can be generally assumed that snowboards have a thickness of about 0.5 inches where the bindings are mounted, the overall height oh measured from the bottom surface 102 of the snowboard 100 to the uppermost portion of the binding for strap bindings generally is about 4 inches or more.